The car Ford was too scared to make

Tuesday, 26 February 2019

The king is dead, long live the king.

That royal chant is seemingly appropriate right now, as pillows of smoke pour from the rear tyres of a seemingly innocuous grey Ford Falcon XR8 Sprint while its supercharged V8 trumpets over the hills surrounding Victoria's Broadford racetrack with enough ferocity to scare an army.

So why are we driving a car you can no longer buy from the blue oval three years after production of the Falcon ceased? Because this isn't just any old Falcon; this is, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, what should have been the most heroic Australian muscle car of all time.

Officially, it's now a package of modifications called 'Holy Grail' developed by Premcar, a Melbourne-based engineering company that was formerly known as Prodrive Australia and the brains behind all Ford Performance Vehicles models.

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Unofficially, it is what was developed and proposed to become the born-again Falcon GT-HO - a tyre-frying swan song for Australia's longest-running nameplate that would have eclipsed the rival Holden Special Vehicles GTSR W1 as the country's most powerful production ever.

Now, as echoes of the Falcon have faded from the halls of Ford's Australian headquarters, Premcar is releasing the Holy Grail package to existing owners of any high-performance Falcon powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8.

Limited to just 100 examples, it's not a cheap upgrade. The engine modifications alone cost AU$24,885 plus it requires a new exhaust system for an additional AU$4,500. And then a major overhaul to the chassis costs AU$14,790 - meaning fanatics that want a Falcon with the lot will have to fork out a grand total of AU$44,175. Plus they'll have to ship their car to Premcar's Melbourne facility and leave it there for a week while the surgery is performed.

While that might seem like a lot of coin, it's worth pointing out that HSV charged AU$170,000 for the GTSR W1 - of which 298 were built - and the Holy Grail package is almost as comprehensive. So, if you've already spent AU$80k on a FPV GT, for example, then spending another AU$50k still makes the Holy Grail more affordable than a W1.

The engine upgrades include the fitment of a triple bypass intercooler within a new intake manifold as well as a separate front-mounted air-to-water heat exchanger, new power steering pump and recalibrated engine management computer that raises the rev limiter to 7000rpm, helping it produce its staggering outputs of 483kW of power at 6800rpm and 753Nm of torque between 4500-5200rpm. By comparison, the most powerful Falcon officially produced was the last-of-the-breed FPV GT-F, which produced 351kW and 570Nm.

The chassis upgrades include the fitment of specially-tuned coil-over shock absorbers that are adjustable for ride height and bump and rebound settings as well as lightweight 19-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in super sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

So (and yes I know this is a reference to the wrong Monty Python flick) is the Holy Grail the messiah, or just a very naughty boy? Well, having wasted a set of rear tyres during our drive at Broadford this week, it is very much both.

For starters, and despite its mammoth power outputs, it drives exactly the same as a non-modified Falcon when cruising around. There's no lumpiness - or grumpiness - in its low speed drivability and the coil-over shocks are well-sorted, with decent compliance over patchy surfaces. There are some obvious changes in its basic character, as the steering immediately feels sharper, there's far less body roll when cornering and the exhaust has a richer burble to its note.

Otherwise, the engine still feels effortlessly lazy with the ability to lope along at barely-above idle speeds and the six-speed manual fitted in the development car we drove still shifted with the same slick feel.

But it's when you uncork all of its performance that the Holy Grail reveals itself. Stomp on the gas and - in any gear - the engine erupts like a volcano, quickly spinning past the 6000rpm gear shift chime into its ferocious top end. That extra 1000rpm makes a huge difference, not only because it gives you an additional split second to grab another gear before snagging the rev limiter but - being supercharged - the power just keeps on coming. And coming. It's relentless.

It's that fast that, up there, it makes the Falcon feel like it's got an extra engine. And it sounds unreal; with the secondary exhaust flap open, it bellows so loud that it almost - but not quite - drowns out the whine of the supercharger.

The combined effect of its suspension and wheel-and-tyre upgrade manages to make the Falcon feel lighter and more nimble than ever, offering excellent mid-corner grip and enough traction to keep its rear-end in a straight line when exiting a bend. Unless, of course, you don't want to stay in a straight line as it doesn't take much for the sheer grunt to overcome that grip when you de-activate traction control and crack the throttle in the middle of the corner, sending the rear end swinging sideways while igniting its rear tyres. It's an absolute riot.

Yes, it's a real shame this didn't eventuate as planned - as a GT-HO - and lay down a heroically powerful, retro inspired full stop at the end of the Falcon story.

But, at the same time, I'm glad Ford didn't have the guts to do it, as those cars would likely have been snapped-up by collectors and prospectors, hidden away in garages and rarely driven, hoping that one day - long into the future - they would be worth a squllion dollars.

This way, 100 of those one-eyed fans of fast Fords - most likely the same group that would have bought one anyway - can have the spirit, and the power and performance, of a GT-HO and go out an enjoy it… every day of the week.

The Falcon might be dead. But long live the Falcon.